Derek Allen, PhD Candidate in Hispanic Languages & Literatures with emphasys in Luso-Brazilian Studies, received The Center for African Studies' Andrew and Mary Thompson Rocca Fellowship.
The endowment supports student scholars at the advanced graduate level concentrating in African Studies. Derek’s dissertation researches literature and film from Mozambique, Angola, Portugal, and Brazil. His project focuses on novels and films of war and independence struggles and the many aesthetic and political collaborations that came to exist between writers and filmmakers.
Derek Allen received his M.A. in Portuguese from Indiana University, where he was also an Associate Instructor of Spanish and Portuguese language courses. He received his B.A. in Portuguese from Brigham Young University, where he was awarded Outstanding Portuguese Major and graduated with minors in English and Management, while also working as a Research Assistant for the Department of Plant Sciences. At UC Berkeley, Derek has taught: “Introduction to Portugal, Brazil, and other Portuguese-Speaking Cultures,” “Reading and Composition: Postcolonial Identities in Luso-African Literature and Film”, and “Intensive Portuguese for Spanish Speakers,” among other classes. He is the recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Graduate Student Instructor Award.
Previous to his academic studies, he spent two years as a volunteer service representative in Mozambique and Angola. He has also studied abroad at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Universidade de Lisboa, and ISCTE – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa in Lisbon, Portugal, as well as at Pontifícia Universidade Católica in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Congratulations, Derek!